Well.. I'll have to disagree with you here. I really enjoyed some of the random encounters in BG, and I liked how they could be quite difficult when your party was still low level.

I don't like being able to waltz through the forest now without any fear of running into something that could actually be challenging. And yes, the game is quite easier, at least in the early-game which was always one of my favorite things about BG1.

It's an obvious attempt to make the game more accessible to the mainstream audience. I don't have a problem with that, but like I said, they should have included the option of having the original spawn rate for those who prefer it.